Questons and Answers
by lola121880
Summary: While visiting Chloe and Lana at Met U, Lois, Clark, Chloe and Lana play a game of poker. Secrets are revealed. ONESHOT


**Title:** Questions and Answers

**Author:** Lola

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters or the initial idea! I just own the story!

**A/N:** This was my first attempt at fan-fiction. A special thanks to Marcy for being such a great beta and to Lucy for the idea! Please read and review!

Lois sniffed the container in her hands and blanched.

"Hey Chloe, can I throw this out?" Lois held up a take-home Chinese carton. "I need to make room for the Jell-O."

"I can't believe you brought Jell-O shooters with you this weekend."

"Hey, it's not a Friday night in the Met-U dorms without some form of alcohol and this was the best I could come up with." Lois was digging around in the desk next to the dorm fridge looking for some form of plastic dispose of questionable Chow-mien.

"Chloe, I know you said you were tight on cash and trying stretch a dollar, but this smells like Lucy's gym socks that I recently found in the trunk of my car. There's no telling how long they've been there. I mean it's been what _months_ since I've seen her. Then again, I'm not positive they're Lucy's socks. I did go to the gym last week but surely I would have noticed— "

Chloe interrupted, "It's Lana's and it's been there for over a week. You can toss it." She handed Lois an empty Wal-Mart sack. "Here, tie it up in this."

Lois tied off the bag and dumped it in the trash as Chloe lit one of Lana's scented candles. She then grabbed several squares of Jell-O and put the rest in the fridge. She handed half to Lois then raised one to toast.

"Cheers." Chloe grinned and sucked down the rest of her Jell-O. "So…why did you hurry down here on such short notice? And with Clark of all people? I thought he was driving you crazy."

"Well, I've been wanting to visit for awhile and when you told me this morning that you were job free for the weekend…it just seemed like the perfect time. As far as farm boy, believe me he is the last person I wanted to drive down with. A three hour mope-a-thon."

"Give him a break. He and Lana have been on the outs lately."

"I know. I think that's why he came. To sort things out with her. Anyway, my car's in the shop, he was making the trip, and when his mom found out I wanted to see you… Let's just say Smallville wasn't too happy about sharing a car with me either. "

Clark had brooded during the entire drive and Lois got the impression that he had wanted to make the drive alone as he was quiet for most of the trip. Lois, who usually would have prattled on to fill the silence, instead chose to nap and let him be alone with his thoughts.

Lois understood Clark's frustrations with the way things were going with Lana. They only talked about it several times a week. And although Clark still confided a lot in Chloe, he was also bending her ear on several occasions. If he had done this last year, Lois probably wouldn't have listened and waved him off. But now…they were actually friends. Close friends. Since Chloe and Lana had gone off to Met-U, Clark and Lois had spent more time together due to lack of options. Lois saw more of him now that she lived in her own apartment than she had when they shared the same house. He even had a key to her place. Not that they told Lana, or Chloe for that matter. For some reason when it was just the two of them they let down barriers and enjoyed each other's company. But when other people were thrown into the mix, it was as if they had taken three steps back and were barely tolerating each other. It was a mystery to both and they _never_ discussed this aspect of their relationship.

Chloe's eyes darted to the door at the sound of angry voices floating down the dorm hallway. The framed picture of Chloe holding a copy of her first Daily Planet byline rattled as the door was forcefully thrown open.

"Lana I'm tired of having the same conversation with you—" Clark stopped short when he realized they had an audience. "Chloe. Lois. Um, hey…."

Lois glanced at Clark. His face was flushed and it looked as if he and Lana had been having it out for awhile. Lana just looked…indifferent.

"Hey, Chloe. Lois, it's good to see you." Lana glared at Clark and flounced onto her pillowed bed. "What are your plans for the evening?"

Chloe looked between Lana and Clark then opened the fridge and grabbed three more squares of Jell-O. "Oh you know, we're just hanging out." She leaned against her desk. "Jell-O?"

Clark raised an eyebrow. "No thanks." He glanced at Lana and then became fascinated with the patterned floor.

Lois took one of the offered treats, ignoring the tension in the room, and seated herself on the floor leaning against Chloe's unmade bed. "What _are_ we going to do tonight?"

"We could go to the coffee shop down the street," Lana suggested.

Clark's head snapped up. _We?_ He was so sure that she would want to finish their _discussion_ as soon as Chloe and Lois headed out. He was surprised to discover that he was glad he wouldn't be alone with Lana in the immediate future. Although he wasn't sure he wanted to participate in a group activity either.

Lois waved her hand at Lana's suggestion. "I served coffee all day today. I'd rather not spend my evening drinking it." She leaned and opened the fridge to grab some more Jell-O. "Besides coffee might kill my buzz."

"We could catch a movie." Clark moved to the desk and sat in the swiveled chair.

"It's way after six and there is the whole money factor." Lois wiped her hands down the front of her jeans.

"Cards?" Clark volunteered.

"_Cards?_" Lana sighed.

"Yeah," Chloe stared into space and smiled. She looked at Lois. " We could play poker." Chloe opened the drawer next to Clark's knee and rummaged for a moment then triumphantly held up a Hawaiian novelty deck.

"What about the whole money thing?" Lana reminded stretching out on her stomach.

"We don't have to play for money." Lois grinned mischievously and scooted over to make room for Chloe next to her on the floor.

Clark intervened, "I don't know about this."

"You're the one that suggested we play cards." Lois smirked.

"I didn't mean poker. I meant—"

"What? Go fish? Come on, Smallville, live a little."

"We could play for secrets." Lana sat up suddenly interested.

"Secrets?" Clark swallowed, liking this idea less and less.

"Yeah, like truth or dare but without the dare part." Lana tucked a stray hair behind her ear and joined the girls on the floor. "The person who wins gets to ask a question and those who stay in the game have to answer," she looked at Clark, "with the truth."

Lois took the cards from Chloe and began shuffling.

"Isn't that a little high schoolish?" Clark tried again.

"Come-on, Clark. It will be fun." Chloe looked at Clark with wide eyes and a huge smile on her face. She got up to grab the remainder of the Jell-O and set it on the floor.

Clark hadn't seen Chloe this relaxed in a long time. Couldn't she see the danger in this? And what was with the Jell-O? "Okay but we have to make some ground rules. If a question is asked that someone truly feels uncomfortable with, they don't _have_ to answer."

Lana opened her mouth to protest.

"Okay," Chloe intervened sitting back down. "But, each person only gets 2 Harpo Marx's." She looked at Clark, "So use them wisely."

Lana's cell phone chirped from her pocket. "I'll agree to that." She looked at her phone. "Oh it's Nell. I haven't talked to her in a like a millenium. Let me talk to her a few minutes and then we can play." Lana took her phone and stepped into the dorm's hallway. "I'll be right back."

"I'll agree to the veto rule," Lois cut the cards absentmindedly, "but no lame questions either. I don't want to spend the evening listening to, 'What do you want to be when you grow-up?' or 'What's your favorite color?'"

"What if I want to know everyone's favorite color?" Clark protested.

"We _all_ know everyone's favorite color." At Clark's objective look Lois added, "Let's see, the pink princess is in the hallway on her cell phone. Chloe has always been partial to green."

Clark glanced at Chloe.

Chloe shrugged, "Go Irish."

Lois continued, "I prefer yellow." Then she looked pointedly at Clark, "And look, it's the Red Ranger. No. Wait. Is plaid a color?"

Clark was ready to argue when the door opened and Lana announced, "Nell says hello." She grabbed several sodas and sat Indian style across from Chloe. "Clark are you going to play?"

Clark looked up at the ceiling as if begging God to remove him from this situation. His mom could call and say he needed to come home right away. That she needed his help vacuuming the lint behind the drier. Or the dorm RA could suddenly bust in actually enforcing the no males allowed in the women's dorm past 9:00 rule. The room above them could spring a leak and the ceiling could come crashing down. Anything would do. All three women were looking at him waiting for his response. Clark sighed and seated himself across from Lois.

Lois bridged the cards and dealt them Vegas style. "Alright, five card draw. Deuces and one-eyed Jacks are wild."

Chloe raised her eyebrows at Clark and grinned playfully.

Clark shook his head, "Why do I get the feeling she's done this before."

Lois shrugged, "I might have played before."

Lois _had_ played before and as the evening wore one it became evident that she was quite experienced. She continued to win hand after hand therefore controlling the Q&A. Clark was actually enjoying himself and was learning many unknown facts about his friends. He was surprised by Lois' questions and even more surprised at some of the answers.

Who knew Chloe had a childhood fear of squirrels? Or that Lana carried her belief in Santa Claus well into the fifth grade? Lana hated heights whereas Chloe dreamed of one day getting her pilot's license. He was shocked to find himself revealing that he was a closet _Star Trek_ fan and owned the entire series on DVD. Lois had a way of getting people to open up. Clark smiled. Of course the Jell-O might have helped with that. Turns out it's spiked.

Lana blew a frustrated breath between her lips and tossed her cards down. "I'm out."

Clark looked at his hand again and sighed, a pair of kings. While Lois sat with her cards tucked confidently to her chest and took a drink from her soda.

Chloe, who was now sprawled across her bed, stared at her cards and chewed the corner of her lip. "I fold too."

"Alright, Smallville, it's just you and me." She fanned her cards and waved them side to side. "Tick-tock. Tick-tock."

Clark laid down his cards face up. "Call."

Lois smirked, "Read em' and weep." She had a royal flush. She grabbed the last piece of Jell-O and pointed to Clark. "Biggest regret."

Clark hesitated for an instant then grinned. "That I agreed to play this with you and I'll have to listen to you gloat the entire ride home."

"Ha, ha. Lame answer. Try again." She gathered all the cards and handed them to Lana.

"Hey, your only rule was no lame questions. You never said anything about the answers."

"Okay. I'll make you a deal." Lois stood and stretched. "You answer my question with a real answer and I'll sit the next hand out, let someone else win."

Clark didn't want to answer. He had been living his greatest regret for the past several months. He and Lana were hanging onto a nonexistent, shallow relationship. Throughout the course of the game, Clark was realizing he had learned more about Lana in the last hour and a half than in years of living next door to her. And it was due to Lois.

Clark swallowed. "I guess my biggest regret is, um…," Clark's gaze shifted to Lana who was busy shuffling the cards. The flash of sorrow was brief and Lois' eyes softened with understanding. Lana looked up at the sudden lack of conversation. It was as if all the air had suddenly been sucked from the room. He hesitated and then quickly finished, "that I don't help my dad around the farm enough." It was a copout answer and he knew it. "You know with his heart and all." Clark starred at the floor and began tracing the patterns on the carpet.

Chloe sat up and put her hand on Clark's shoulder.

Lois looked at Clark and nodded, letting his answer pass. "You know you can fix this."

Clark glanced up and held her look. "Yes. I can."

Lana watched the scene before her with disbelief. Clark was obviously lying about his greatest regret and everyone else seemed to be fine with it. What was worse, was the unspoken conversation that she wasn't following. "This is stupid." She threw the cards on the ground.

She stood up, gathered her purse and stopped at the door not looking at anyone. With her hand on the doorknob she softly added, "I'm going to get some coffee." She then quietly let herself out.

Chloe frowned and stood grabbing her wallet. "I'm going to go and make sure she's okay."

Clark quietly picked up the scattered cards stacking them together. Lois leaned next to him and covered his hand with her own taking the cards. "Clark you should go and talk to Lana."

"Was I stupid for ever thinking we'd make it?"

"Well, maybe a little."

Clark's grin was incredulous. "Gee thanks."

"I just mean that you and Lana have never been all that great together."

"Oh that's even better."

"Come on, Smallville." She snapped the rubber band around the cards. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but Lana has a point. You should try some honesty;" at Clark's hurt expression she stood and put the cards back into the drawer, "with yourself."

Lois was right. The thought finally occurred to him, he didn't like who he was with Lana. If he was honest with himself, he needed to end this once and for all. He watched Lois clean up the mess around the room. Why couldn't Lana be more like Lois? She was so patient with her friends and had so much depth. Wait. What was he thinking? This was Lois. Sure they were friends now but wishing his girlfriend was like her. Whoa. He didn't want to go there. He'd wrestle with these thoughts later. Much later. He needed to take care of something else first.

Lois tossed empty soda cans into an overflowing trash bag. Clark stared at it moment and then and picked it up. "I'll be right back. I need to take care of this."

Lois raised an eyebrow and slowly gave him a crooked smile. "Good luck and bring me back a nonfat caramel latte."


End file.
